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A BEST BOOK OF 2023 IN THE TIMES, GUARDIAN AND WALL STREET JOURNAL

A searing memoir from Hadley Freeman, bestselling author of House of Glass, about one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses.

‘A clear-eyed view of a debilitating and misunderstood illness’ Guardian

‘A gripping story’ Financial Times

From the ages of fourteen to seventeen, Freeman lived in psychiatric wards after developing anorexia nervosa. For the next twenty years, she grappled with various forms of self-destructive behaviour as the anorexia mutated and persisted. Combining personal experience with deep reporting, this profoundly honest and hopeful story details Freeman’s long journey to recovery.

Publisher Review

‘A frank and insightful account … offers insight into the unique struggle of adolescent girls in an era when they are told they can be anything’ The Times

‘A clear-eyed view of a debilitating and misunderstood illness’ Guardian

‘Freeman manages to turn this tragic and taxing tale into a gripping story’ Financial Times

‘This is a vital contribution that it’s to be hoped will change how we understand anorexia, and perhaps also influence the messages we put across to young girls’ Jewish Chronicle

‘For parents of girls with eating disorders, this is vital, revelatory, and deeply moving’ Caitlin Moran

‘Recounting her years of anorexia with uncommon honesty, Hadley Freeman makes a powerful case for finding the will to live’ Lauren Collins, author of When In French

‘Breaking the silence around eating disorders with piercing honesty’ Hugo Rifkind, Times columnist

‘I urge any anorexic, or parent of an anorexic, to read this book’ Daily Mail

‘This is a heart-breaking account of what might lead someone to feel self-starvation is her only option and Freeman should be commended for her bravery in writing about this’ Evening Standard

‘She has brought to bear every ounce of her trademark clarity, precision and wit to render her own experience, and that of other women with anorexia, with the utmost specificity and sensitivity’ New York Times

‘Freeman is a brave, illuminating and meticulous reporter, and uses her experience wisely’ Observer